Paris Overview

Once just a village that settled on the "Ile de la Cité" (City Island) on the confluence of the Seine's two branches, Paris has vastly expanded over the centuries, taking the surrounding villages under its wing and making them its own. Nowadays the City of Light - a name Paris earned during the age of the Enlightenment - is made up of several arrondissments or districts, numbered from 1 to 20 and logically ordered with the 1st in the centre and the others following on in a clockwise spiral.

The differences are vast and varied between the districts, both in terms of the populations and attractions, which together make up the multifaceted city we know and love.

Paris facts and figures

Area :

Population : 2,150,000

Time zone : GMT +1

Electricity : 220 Volts AC, 50 Hz round two-pin plugs

Average January Temp : 3.8°C (39°F)

Average July Temp : 19.4°C (67°F)

Average annual rainfall : 584mm (23 inches)

Airports : Orly - Charles de Gaulle

Country Dialing Code : +33

Area Code : 1